Personal Narrative: My Life In Iraq

Four or Five years ago if you were to tell me that I would be confidently applying to the University of Miami I would have laughed. Through high school I did not give much effort and like most of my peers, thought that furthering my education was my only option. Nearing the end of my senior year I started realizing that no noteworthy university would even consider accepting someone like me. As the days ticked away, I applied to a nearby college with an incredibly high acceptance rate and found myself opening an acceptance letter a few weeks later.

It was March 17, 2003, when my world got a bit worse. The older I get, the more I realize how terrible our economy is. People in Iraq are destitute, they don’t have access to clean water, electricity, and enough clothing. A fifteen year old girl should not be able to tell you everything there is to know about Saddam Hussein, but I can. Though my dad told me society prefers that I am oblivious to all the riots and shootings, I prefer to listen to every adult conversation when I have the chance. It interests me to hear about life only a few blocks away. People assume I am miserable, but that is not true. Although terrible situations are around me, I wouldn’t necessarily say my life is “bad”. Life is never bad unless you experience war. I personally

Growing up as the son of a career Naval Officer, I have experienced a background that varies greatly from that of an applicant who has grown up in a strictly civilian family. The constant relocation, the exciting places I have lived, and the countless great, unique people I have met, have all contributed that that he unique childhood I have enjoyed. While at times my identity as a military child has made life challenging and difficult, I strongly believe that it has made me a stronger, more adaptable person because I have been molded by past experiences and I don't think that my application would be complete without this information.

The most challenging aspect I have found about being a leader and Soldier in the Army is finding balance between Army life and life outside of my career. As a father and a husband, I have to consciously make time for the other factors in my life. Since I have spent an average of my adult life more at work than at home, whether deployed or in garrison, I have formed lasting bonds with peers, superiors and subordinates alike. It is a delicate balance to ensure that I am creating similar bonds with my 10 and 16 year old boys, who live with their mother, while continuously strengthening my bond with my wife. Although this balance remains a challenge, I have found that by anticipating various reactions to my words and actions that I am choosing to say what I actually mean. That simple process has positive impacts on my continuing effort to build resiliency. I also make it a point to “hunt the good stuff” and focus on the positive aspects of my life rather than the things that cause me to stress. I find that positive communication and exercise are also good releases for me and helps me to feel less overwhelmed.

If there was anything more terrifying to a shy, introverted, teenage girl than the idea of being a in crowded room full of strangers, it would to be actually in one. Yet, there I was, surrounded by a numerous amount of impatient, jet-black cars that illuminated the dark streets, rows of musicians rehearsing their piece by playing a dissonance of sounds, and the expectant, motley crowd of people lining up on the sidewalk for the veteran’s parade.

Plenty of people were talking about what had happened, from the soldiers and leadership of 1st Armored Division, to the families waiting for us back in Friedberg, Germany. The incident had even been reported on in the Middle Eastern edition of the Stars and Stripes newspaper, being referred to as a showdown. But not everyone was there. And if it were not for my squads training, cohesiveness, and diligent house search during a mission to check and clear supposedly empty houses in the north eastern sector in the Iraqi town of Tal Afar, it could have been that no one would have ever even known about the guy in the hole in the wall. As it turned out, though, the first house we entered to gain access to the roof in order to pull security for

Growing up in Iraq, I endured my homeland’s journey through a difficult period in its history. No one was unaffected: civilians’ lives were disrupted by years of wars and detrimental economic sanctions, but amid the destruction, I saw the good in my community. I witnessed a massive humanitarian effort led by healthcare professionals, as physicians worked to meet the medical needs in my town. My dreams were shaped by this exposure, and ever since, I’ve hoped to join these doctors in their efforts.

With no vision or plan to enter the civilian life and no idea what to do with my life, I still had severe scars of the year in Iraq. There wasn’t a priority or a drive, but however, I did have some responsibility I had a wife and three children. In a desperate move, I attempted to return to the State where I was born as I think about it this may have been some comfort zone. I would send my two new children back home to their state while I attempted to land a job. My first interview would be in Cincinnati as a Retail Manager in a large company. Confident that I had some stability, I couldn’t avoid the heavy drinking or my violent outbursts I would eventually succumb to leaving my wife and two children to find myself in this lost world, which later I regretted. My focus was to leave everything behind and start a new life this would

I used to live in a city called Mosul that was located in the Northern Iraq. In that city, there was a lot of gangs and bad people who broke laws. It was also a city of criminals. Justice was not a major thing in that city. I and my family had to live there because my dad loved his job. Which was working and building churches? I lost my dad when I was seven years old.

I miss my dad. He was so valiant to defend our country in the Vietnam war. Unfortunately, he was the only one who kept me company, since my mom was always working. Recently, a family moved in down the street. We decided to pay them a friendly visit. My mom, being the sweet woman she was, had time to make cookies and bring them to our new neighbors. The lady who answered the door was named Mrs.Kwon. She had escaped with her daughter from the violence and terror in Vietnam. Mrs.Kwon invited us in. I noticed a girl about my age, with coffee colored hair, and a lilting voice.

It was just another ordinary day; no one could have predicted it would turn out the way it did. We were assigned to our usual stretch of desolate open road, mostly calm and quiet; maybe a couple of vehicles would pass by per day. It was my duty to watch over the group on a nearby bridge. It was decided over a coin flip, as it did not involve anything more than sitting in the sun and basking for a couple of hours. It was a favored assignment amongst us; the rest of the group spent the day patrolling up and down the road and checking documents, you know, boring things. Time passes

If you go down, you will find a way to get back up and thank whoever brought you down because he just made you that much stronger.

This was my second deployment and my first deployment to Afghanistan. I had been with 3rd BN 509th for my prior deployment to Iraq and now I was going to be with them again in Afghanistan. I loved being in 509th in Iraq like a lot of units in the 2006-2007 era, lost a lot of people and lived in very austere conditions which in turn I feel brought the unit closer. In preparation for the new deployment to Afghanistan we went to the Nation Training Center (NTC) at Fort Irwin, CA. Where we were more focused on our job as providing indirect fire. During Iraq we shot mortars for half of the deployment and in preparation for Iraq we shot mortars, but the emphasis for indirect fire was much heavier in preparation for this new deployment.

Have you ever fought in the Afghanistan War? The veteran I interviewed is Nicholas J. Konrad. He was born on April 16, 1989. He also has one child, her name is Kennedy and she is 4 and a half months old. He currently lives in Maumee, Ohio. Nicholas served in the (USMC) or United State Marine Corps. He was ranked (CPL) or Corporal.

I joined the Marine Corps looking for a challenge. I wanted to open doors for a new career and longed to have a positive impact on the world around me. Looking back five years later, I realize I found all that I originally sought, but I’ve also found something profoundly satisfying and meaningful that I never knew I was missing.